How to get in to the Bible to get more out of it

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Jerry

Of course, the first step is to start reading the Bible. If you are a very good reader, and an experienced reader generally, you can probably succeed by starting anywhere in the Bible that interests you.

If you are new to reading the Bible, my personal suggestion is to start reading in the New Testament first. Starting with the Gospel of Mark, the shortest Gospel, is probably best. It has 16 chapters, so if you were to read 3 chapters each day, it would take just over five days to read it. Reading fewer chapters each day just means you will take longer to read all the way through.

Ezra Pound said that “Literature is news that stays news.” He was most certainly right. The Bible, as the world’s greatest work of literature, is still news today, and well worth reading.

The second step is to start studying the Bible. There are many ways, and many strategies which can be used, to study the Bible. I have outlined quite a number of these ways in the category to the right, “How to Study the Bible.” Read those directions, and try a way that interests you.

I personally believe the best, the most fruitful method of Bible study is cross reference Bible study. My suggestion is that as you do your Bible reading, when you come upon a verse that strikes you, look up the cross references for that verse. You will find cross references in the center column of a reference Bible for starters. The NIV Study Bible, the ESV Study Bible, and many editions of the King James Version come with very good cross references.

Unfortunately, Thomas Nelson Publishers have allowed both of my expansions and corrections of the original work, The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, to go out of print. The software version of my book, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, is still available. It runs on Logos software and works very well. The print version of my book is still available on Amazon, but the price is quite high. My second book, Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible, has just recently gone out of print, and there are no signs currently to indicate it will be in print again. Copies are available from Amazon, but again, at quite a high price whether used or new.

Fortunately, the original work, The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, is still in print and very inexpensive. It is available from Amazon, and no doubt it can be ordered from your local Christian bookstore. It is a good source of extensive cross references. It is not nearly as complete, accurate, or readable as my printed editions of cross references were, but since my books are no longer available in printed form, I highly recommend that you get the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge to have access to enough cross references to make such study worthwhile.

The original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge is available online at the Blue Letter Bible website. It works well.

I find that though I have read the Bible in canonical order, that does not give me the best understanding of what happened when. I recently bought the Chronological Life Application Study Bible in the New Living Translation. It is in full color, and has a most handy table of contents at the front of the Bible where you can quickly find where in its pages any verse is found. That will be an excellent tool to get a better handle on the chronological order of the events in the Bible.

Another kind of resource to help you understand more about the Bible is the study Bible. I have several, and just a week or two ago when I wanted to get a better general understanding and overview of 1 and 2 Chronicles, I found the new ESV Study Bible to be quite superior to many of the other study Bibles I have in my personal library.

I have argued here quite often that the best place to start is to read from a plain text Bible. I still believe you should read directly from the Bible itself first. After you have learned as much as you can by personal direct study of the Bible, or a Bible book, it will be helpful to learn more background from a study Bible or two by reading the introductory material they supply for each Bible book.

Another area of great concern is the doctrinal study of the Bible. Many try to avoid this department of Bible study, but it is unavoidable. Most, if not all, general use study Bibles only present the most generic and minimal information on Bible doctrine. Some study Bibles edited by such authors as Dr. R. C. Sproul and Dr. John MacArthur do delve more deeply at times into matters of doctrine.

An instructive example is the widely different handling of the subject of baptism in Dr. R. C. Sproul’s study Bible compared to what you will find in Dr. John MacArthur’s study Bible. Though both of these men are Calvinists, Dr. Sproul holds to the viewpoint of the Reformed position more consistently than Dr. MacArthur. Upon careful study of all the evidence I have been able to learn about in my extensive personal library of Bible study reference works, it is absolutely clear to me, hands down, that Dr. Sproul is right, and Dr. MacArthur on this point is wrong.

As a young person, a new believer, the subject of the mode of Christian baptism was the first of many controversial doctrinal issues I had to face. I asked my Methodist pastor which view was correct. He would not tell me. He said he would arrange for whatever mode of Christian baptism I believed was correct in the light of what the Bible teaches. I opted for sprinkling, since this was the customary mode practiced in my local Methodist church. Not long after, the dear folks at Highland Park Baptist discovered that I was teaching Sunday school there, but my name was not on the membership roll. I asked how I was to solve that. They said I would have to be baptized by immersion. So I followed through and did that. My parents were most upset at my decision to be immersed, but did not argue about it with me. But in any case, which ever mode is correct, I’ve experienced both, so on that score I might be safe. Of course, water baptism is not a salvation issue, though some think it is.

Logos Software just now has a Community Pricing offer of a set of 40 books or so on the subject of baptism for about $80 as I recall. Not many have yet “bid” on the set. I wish they would wake up and do so. I have some of those books already in my print library, and they are very, very good. Many other volumes I know about, but have never been able to get in hard copy.

Why should you study books about Bible issues on more than one side of the issue involved? You will learn much by studying the evidence marshaled in defense of each of several sides. Such study will help you dig far deeper into the Bible than you ever thought possible. Having such knowledge will enable you to spot error in the teaching of others, will help you discover some errors in your own viewpoint, and will help you more accurately teach the truth. It will help you guide young people when, as happened to me right off as a new Christian, a young person must make a decision which way to go on an issue.

The Discipleship Bible, published, I think, by Zondervan, is one of the most complete study Bibles I have which handles Bible doctrine strictly Biblically for the most part. The Dake Annotated Reference Bible is another study Bible that covers Bible doctrine quite well, though Mr. Dake has some interesting but mistaken views of his own on a few things.

With all the wonderful resources available to us today, we have no excuse not to get better acquainted with the Bible!

How to find the time? For many, just watch less television. Reduce your commitment to keeping up with sports. Take time for Bible study. If necessary, start by reading or studying the Bible for as few as five minutes a day. Once you get into it, you will easily be able to devote 20 minutes a day. Beyond that, you will find ways to take a whole evening for Bible study at least once a week, sometimes more often, and you are well underway to getting more acquainted with the most important Book in the world, God’s Word in the Bible.

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Daily Bible Nugget #347, James 1:17

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Jerry

The Nugget:

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

My Comment:

One of the attributes or qualities of God emphasized in the Bible is His quality of (3) immutability or unchangeableness. James tells us with God there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. He uses this truth to emphasize and confirm the truth that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.”

If you would read this verse from different English translations, you would see each translation sheds an additional light upon the meaning in the original Greek text which underlies our English versions.

Young’s Literal Translation:

James 1:17 every good giving, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom is no variation, or shadow of turning;

The NET Bible:

James 1:17 All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change.

The English Standard Version (ESV):

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

The Murdock translation:

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift cometh down from above, from the Father of lights, with whom is no mutation, not even the shadow of change.

The Contemporary English Version (CEV):

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He is always the same and never makes dark shadows by changing.

You can see that each translation sheds its own additional light upon the meaning of this verse.

James introduces this thought just after he has written about the problem of temptation and its source in human lust and desire, not God. He follows his statement about the unchanging nature of God with a statement about how God has brought us to the new birth from above by means of the word of truth. That word of truth is the message of the Gospel. We may receive that truth by hearing it, or we may receive it by reading it from Scripture itself, that is, the Bible, or even an effective Gospel tract.

We can absolutely depend upon the unchanging nature of God. That means we have every reason to fully trust Him, no matter the changing conditions and circumstances we face from day to day (Psalm 9:10).

For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:

(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 1447 for James 1:17.

(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 1465 or in Logos 5 or 6 Bible software for James 1:17.

(3) Consult the cross references given in the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 165 of the NT for James 1:17.

(3) Most people today do not have access to those three resources, so I have posted cross references for this passage as I have developed them even more completely for your study as given below:

James 1:17. Every good. See on ver. James 1:5. James 3:15, 17. Ge 41:16, 38, 39. Ex 4:11, 12. 31:3-6. 36:1, 2. Nu 11:17, 25. 1 Ch 22:12. 29:19. 2 Ch 1:11, 12. %+*Jb 2:10. +*Ps 37:24. 85:12. **Ps 104:28. +*Ps 145:9. Pr 2:6. Is 28:26. +**Je 29:11. Da 2:21, 22, 27-30. Mt 7:11. 11:25, 26. 13:11, 12. +*Lk 6:35. 11:13. Jn 3:27. Ac 5:31. 11:18. *Jn 17:25. Ro 6:23. 11:36. 12:6-8. 1 Cor 4:7. 12:4-12. 2 Cor 9:15. Ep 2:3-5, 8. 4:8-11, 29. Phil 1:29. *1 Tim 6:17. Titus 3:3-5. He 6:4. 1 J 4:10. **1 J 5:11, 12. gift. Gr. dosis (S#1394g, only here and Phil 4:15), a giving; by implication (concretely) a gift (Strong); the act of giving, or the gift in its initiatory stage (JFB). Pr 21:14. Phil 4:15g. perfect. Gr. teleios (S#5046g, Mt 5:48). ver. James 1:4. **Ps 19:7. gift. Gr. dōrēma (S#1434g, only here and Ro 5:16), bestowment (Strong); the thing given, the boon, when perfected (JFB). 2 Ch 32:23. Da 2:6. 5:17. Jn 4:10. Ac 2:38. 8:20. 10:45. Ro 5:16g. 2 Cor 9:15. Ep 3:7. 4:7. He 6:4. from above. Gr. anōthen [(S#509g): Rendered (1) from above: Jn 3:31. 19:11. James 1:17. 3:15, 17. (2) top: Mt 27:51. Mk 15:38. Jn 19:23. (3) again: Jn 3:3, 7. (4) from the very first: Lk 1:3. (5) from the beginning: Ac 26:5. (6) Not translated: Ga 4:9]. James 3:15, 17. Jn 3:3g. and cometh down. Gr. katabainō (S#2597g, Ac 8:38n). Present tense, active voice, participle. As usual, this union of the participle with the finite verb denotes something habitual (Vincent). James 3:15. Ex 28:3. 31:6. 35:30, 31, 34. 1 Ch 29:14. Jb 28:12, 20. 36:3. 38:36. 39:17. *Ps 10:17. 87:7. +*Ps 119:176. Is 40:13, 14. Mk 1:10. Lk 15:17. Jn 6:65. 15:5. Ac 6:3. 7:23. 10:11-15. 11:18. +*Ac 16:14. 18:27. Ro 3:12. Ep 2:8. Phil 1:6. +*Phil 2:13n. Col 2:12. 1 Th 1:5. 2 Th 3:5. 2 Tim 2:25. Re 3:12. 21:2-10. from the Father. James 3:9. *Ge 1:2-5, 14, 15. +*Nu 16:22. Dt 4:19. 1 S 10:12. 1 K 4:29. 2 Ch 9:23. Ezr 1:5. 7:27. Ne 2:12. Jb 1:21. *Jb 38:28. Ps 19:1-8. 27:1. *Ps 84:11. 135:6. *Pr 19:14. Ec 2:19. Is 45:7. 60:19. Je 4:23. 10:12. Da 1:17. Ho 14:8. Mt 19:17. 21:3. Mk 10:18. Lk 18:19. *Jn 1:9. 8:12. 19:11. 1 Cor 1:3. 2 Cor 3:5. 4:6. 5:18. Ep 1:17, 18. Col 2:12. 1 Th 3:12. He 12:9. **1 J 1:5. Re 1:4. 21:23. 22:5. of lights. FS96F2, +Ge 4:10. FS22J, +Ps 27:1. The heavenly bodies. Jb 25:3. 38:7, 28. Ps 8:3. 36:9. +*Ps 119:105. 135:7. 136:7. *Is 9:2. *Is 49:6. Je 4:23. 31:35. Am 5:8. **Mt 5:14, 16. Lk 16:8. *Jn 1:4. 3:19. 5:35. *Jn 8:12. 12:36. Ep 5:8. Phil 2:15. 1 J 1:7. no variableness. Gr. parallagē (S#3883g, only here), transformation (of phase or orbit), that is, (figuratively) fickleness (Strong). T#217. Ex 3:14. *Nu 23:19. Dt 32:4. 33:14. 1 S 15:29. Jb 23:13. 38:33. +Ps 33:11 (T#250). +*Ps 89:34. **+Ps 102:25-28. +*Ps 119:89-91. Pr 19:21. Ec 3:14. Is 14:24. +*Is 31:2. 46:4, 10. Je 2:17. Ezk 24:14. Da 6:26. +*Mal 3:6. Jn 8:58. 13:1. *Ro 11:29. He 1:11, 12. 6:17, 18. +He 13:8 (T#76-4). shadow. Gr. aposkiasma (S#644g, only here), a shading off, that is, obscuration (Strong). of turning. Gr. tropē (S#5157g, only here), a turn (“trope”), that is, revolution (figuratively variation) [Strong]. %Ge 6:6. Jb 23:13. 34:22. Ps 139:9, *Ps 139:12. +*Je 32:40. *Ho 13:14.

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Daily Bible Nugget #346, Malachi 3:6

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

My Comment:

This verse (Malachi 3:6) speaks of a very important attribute of God, attribute (3) in my extensive list of God’s attributes I am presenting in a series of very important Bible Nuggets. It is the attribute of God’s immutability or unchangeableness.

One way to look at God’s unchangeableness is to consider that God is perfect (Matthew 5:48). If He were to change, He could not get better, for if He could, then He could hardly speak of Himself as perfect now! God could in our imagination get worse, which would be to retreat from His present perfection, but since God is now perfect, He cannot do that either. There are some things God cannot do. He cannot act contrary to His character. Therefore, God cannot change or be changed. God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). This is a most important concept to grasp about God as you consider His attributes, His character. When you really understand God’s character, you will find you can trust Him fully (Psalm 9:10).

God argues His case in behalf of Israel in Malachi 3:6. God states that because He does not change, therefore the people and nation of Israel are not consumed. It is only a relatively small nation. Yet Israel has kept its identity for thousands of years in good times and bad.

God argues His case on the basis of His own faithfulness to the promises He has made to Abraham in the Abrahamic Covenant and to David in the Davidic Covenant. Nowhere in the Bible has God retracted the promises to Abraham, David, and Israel contained in these covenants. Most Christians, Christian pastors and theologians, think these promises now belong to the Church and are no longer valid for Israel. Nonsense. Malachi 3:6 alone is sufficient to demolish that mistaken view.

God claims in no uncertain terms that the Land He has promised to Abraham, and therefore to Israel, is His own (Deuteronomy 32:43). He has promised that the Jewish people likewise belong to Him and are His exclusively (Deuteronomy 32:43). God clearly states that He will be merciful to His Land and to His People (Deuteronomy 32:43). God tells us that our duty, by the way, is to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6).

Many foolish theologians of today, especially among Calvinists, would deny the truth and application I just made of Malachi 3:6 and Deuteronomy 32:43. They need to go back and do their homework in Bible study. They won’t dare come on this site and post comments contrary to what I assert. I have noticed a few of them have tried, but they soon give up and lose interest, because I do not support their mistaken views whatsoever, and neither does the Bible.

Remember my personal commitment to the truth of the Bible: If I am wrong about what I believe the Bible teaches, I will change my mind if anyone can provide sufficient Bible evidence to show I am mistaken. Will you?

The Jehovah’s Witnesses invited me to have them hold a study in my home, and I gladly accepted their offer to teach me more about the Bible. They think they know something about Bible prophecy. They do not. They do not understand Malachi 3:6 and the assertion God makes about His people, the Jews. If they would read even one more verse from the Hebrew Scriptures, what the rest of us call the Old Testament, and believe what the verse says, they would immediately see they must be wrong: take a look at Isaiah 41:9.

Lazy Bible believing Christians will claim Isaiah 41:10 as a promise they can bank on. I would imagine that verse would be a good candidate for placement on a card in a box of Bible Promises cards. But they would almost never think to read the verse that comes before it! God promises Israel in many places in the Bible, but especially very plainly in Isaiah 41:9, that He will never cast His people Israel away.

Now, we have ignorant followers of false religions like Islam, which is not a religion of peace, but a death cult, aptly so named within the past week or so by an official from Japan. Followers of Islam don’t believe Israel has a right to the land where they are, and threaten to push Israel into the sea (Psalm 83:4), to cut them off from being a people. Seven times the Bible tells us God laughs (Psalm 2:4 is one of them), and each time it is not a laughing matter. False religionists, such as Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Roman Catholics, most Calvinists, and many more need to wake up and start digging into their Bibles and learning what God has said about these things. They had better all get to know God through what He has revealed about Himself in the Bible. You cannot know God without understanding His attributes.

Now we also have fools for politicians (especially John Kerry and President Obama) who have no knowledge of the Bible. At this very moment we have five American officials in Israel trying to convince the people of the nation of Israel to vote their current leader out of office in a soon-coming election. From what I have read, the people in Israel are growing even stronger in their support of the current leader, the opposite effect our government aimed for. The United States of America and its leadership need to keep their nose out of Israel until they understand very clearly what the Bible has to say about what God will do to any nation that works against Israel. President Obama, John Kerry, and the rest of the mindless leadership need to come to this site and learn how to read and study the Bible. Then they could take intelligent positions with regard to the nation of Israel. Israel is our ally. Our current president is a Muslim in his worldview, not a Christian, who supports Islamic extremism, and before it is too late, he needs to get better informed before God takes some rather unpleasant action against him too (Genesis 12:3).

Whenever I visit a news website that has an article that makes reference to Israel, I notice that there are a group of posters who post on the comments below some very derogatory comments against Israel, and against Jews. Just now, probably no one is perfect. The nation of Israel is not right with God. Some Jewish people, individuals, may have done or may be doing some things that are not entirely right. That does not change the fact that they are God’s people, and that the land where they reside is God’s land. In the light of the Bible, the Palestinians basically do not have a leg to stand on. A so-called two-state solution is absurd and will not work. Gaza is mentioned in the Bible. It is mentioned in Bible prophecy. So is Damascus, Syria. You must not take a position that is on the wrong side of what God declares in the Bible. It is foolishness to make broad claims against Israel as if that nation is at the root of all our ills. But that is what these uninformed or misinformed posters do on other sites I read on the Internet. Of course, they won’t come here and enter into debate with me. I dare them to do so, based on the Bible. They don’t know the Bible, that may be why they won’t come here. But this is the place they need to be to learn something for once about what the Bible really has to say.

God’s whole history of Israel was written before it happened in a marvelous chapter to be found in the book of Leviticus, chapter 26. That chapter spells out in detail just what God has in mind for the people and land of Israel.

Has the pastor of your church ever taught you, line by line, just what Leviticus 26 has to say about Bible prophecy? I bet not. It is about time every pastor did.

For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:

(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 1006 for Malachi 3:6.

(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 1026 or in Logos 5 or 6 Bible software for Malachi 3:6.

(3) Consult the cross references given in the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 585 for Malachi 3:6.

(3) Most people today do not have access to those three resources, so I have posted cross references for this passage as I have developed them even more completely for your study as given below:

Malachi 3:6. I am. Ge 15:7, 18. 22:16. Ex 3:14, 15. 6:2. Le 18:5. Ne 9:7, 8. Is 41:13. 42:5-8. 43:11, 12. 44:6. 45:5-8. 46:4. Je 32:27. Ho 11:9. I change not. God the Father is immutable (Ps 33:11. %Mt 12:32. +*Mt 28:19n. He 6:17. %He 13:8). Ge 6:6. *Nu 23:19rp. 1 S 15:29. Ps 102:26, 27. +*Is 31:2. 59:1. Da 6:26. Ho 13:14. +*Ro 11:29. He 1:12. *He 6:17, 18. +*He 13:8. **James 1:17. +*Re 1:8. 22:13. therefore. Nu 23:27. **1 K 8:23. Ne 9:19. Ps 78:38, 57. 103:17. 105:7-10. Is 40:28-31. La 3:22, 23. Ro 5:10. **Ro 8:28-32. 11:28, 29. *Phil 1:6. **2 Th 2:13, 14. not consumed. +*Le 26:42. **Ps 89:34. +**Is 41:8, 9. +**Is 54:7-10. +**Is 55:3. 64:5. +*Je 33:20, 21n. **La 3:22. Ezk 16:60. **Zc 10:6.

Posted in Bible Prophecy, Daily Bible Nuggets, Doctrinal Discussions, False Religions, Politics and the Bible | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Daily Bible Nugget #345, John 5:26

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Jerry

The Nugget:

John 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

My Comment:

I am continuing this series on the attributes of God. This Bible Nugget (John 5:26) speaks of (2) God’s self-existence.

That may be too deep of a concept for me to muster any further words about it. God has always existed. He possesses the attribute of self-existence. This is sometimes spoken of in terms of the fact that God is essential being, or necessary being, clearly uncreated and without beginning or end.

But notice carefully that God has given to His Son to have life in himself. No one else has that attribute. This would seem to be a good bit of evidence to prove that the Bible asserts the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now that idea does not sit well with Jehovah’s Witnesses, with Unitarians, or with any group or individual who would deny the Bible doctrine of the Trinity.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses published a booklet some years ago with a title something like The Trinity: Should You Believe It?. That may not be the exact title, but it is close enough to find that publication. Going by what the Bible itself teaches, I would have to pronounce their publication to be utter error, cleverly done, but still false.

The word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible. But the doctrine of the Trinity is found there by necessary inference.

For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:

(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 1173 for John 5:26.

(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 1194 or in Logos 5 or 6 Bible software for John 5:26.

(3) Consult the cross references given in the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 67 of the New Testament for John 5:26.

(3) Most people today do not have access to those three resources, so I have posted cross references for this passage as I have developed them even more completely for your study as given below:

John 5:26. the Father. 2 P 1:17. 1 J 5:7. hath life. T#221. Jn 1:4. *Jn 6:57. Ge 1:1. Ex 3:14. Dt 32:40. *Ps 36:9. 42:2. 90:2. Is 41:4. Je 10:10. Da 4:34. Ac 14:15. 17:24, 25, 28. Ro 11:35, 36. *1 Tim 1:17. *1 Tim 6:13, 15, 16. Re 1:17, 18. so hath. *+Jn 1:4. 4:10. 7:37, 38. 8:51. 11:26. **Jn 14:6, 19. 17:2, 3. *1 Cor 15:45. *Col 3:3, 4. 1 J 1:1-3. Re 7:17. 21:6. 22:1, 17. have life. Jn 6:57. *Jn 11:25. +*Mt 28:19. Ac 3:15. Ro 5:10. 1 P 2:4. in himself. Jn 10:18. 1 J 5:11.

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Is anyone out there really interested in Bible study?

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Jerry

Frankly, I do not think so.

People are more interested in sports than they are in the Bible. I personally believe that sports (NFL, the stupidity about how much air pressure was used to inflate the football, and all the rest of the sports-related stupidity) is a waste of time. I believe that the real opiate of the people is sports, and has nothing to do with religion, and especially the Bible. Sports is a waste of time because too many people, even supposed Christians, spend more time following sports than they spend reading the Bible. And of those who do manage to read the Bible, most never study the Bible.

Now, when I attended Bob Jones University as an undergraduate student, my roommates in the dormitory tried very, very hard to help me with my “sports deficiency.” I will tell you, I absolutely hate sports of any kind. Why? Perhaps it is because as a child growing up during World War II there were no children who lived near me with whom to learn to play sports in the local neighborhood. My new home, built in 1940, was at that time on the outskirts of Detroit near Eight Mile Road and Dequindre. What young people there were I must say were not the kind of young people I had any interest in having any contact with. I had several close friends, but we were not into sports, especially group sports.

Upon returning home from World War II, my father tried his best to get me involved in sports. It was to no avail. At Bob Jones University my roommates Dale T. Hayes and Bob Bandy and others tried heroically to get me to budge. Dale kept after me, and I eventually qualified to get a “Letter” in Athletics. I was more interested in getting my Letter in Debate.

In elementary school and junior high school and high school I was always the last one chosen for any activity in gym class. I hated gym class. I stayed in the corner and did chin-ups and lifted weights, but never once played baseball or basket ball. For a little skinny kid, I could lift more weight than the class sports heroes. If gym teachers knew how to teach (and they don’t, in my experience), they would have coached me from elementary school on until I was successful. I remember elementary school. I got hit squarely in the stomach by the ball and I doubled over, and the class laughed. I did successfully complete the rope climb assignment.

The first time my father took me to a Baptist boys group like the Scouts to learn how to swim, I innocently ran and jumped straight in the pool, and sunk to the bottom. The leader, Mr. George Finch, saw me in time and rescued me from certain drowning. It was long after that before I ever learned to swim, and I have no interest in it whatsoever.

Gym class and the playground were the worst places for me, for there I encountered the school bullies who were always picking on me. I walked circuitous routes to and from elementary and junior high school to avoid these numbskulls. But even as a teacher, I was still subject to harassment by bullies. The bullies were students who belonged in class (but not my class) who spent their time wandering the halls causing trouble. Eventually enough students learned I was on their side, and the members of sports teams the coaches had me tutor told me they would have my back, and they literally served throughout the day as my unofficial but effective body guards.

Dale Hayes argued with me that if I had an interest in sports, that could be a means of ministry to reach others for Christ. He might be right. But I still hate sports with a passion. Nevertheless, at church, I had at least 22 young men who were virtual sports fanatics in my Sunday school class. They asked me that if I let them form a team, would I sponsor them and act as chaperone when they practiced in a gym in a nearby old church that had one. I said, I’ll be happy to, just so long as we have a brief, focused Bible study before you begin each practice. They agreed, and that is what we did.

In my high school English classes I always said I had sports all figured out. I could teach the football team and the basketball team how to win the championship hands down. Then I explained how I would do it. I would go to the school library and read all the books on sports to be found there. I would read about famous players. I would read books about each sport. I would read all about sports in the encyclopedias. At least, I told my class, I KNOW HOW TO READ, AND YOU DON’T! Then I’ll go out on the gym floor and show my stuff.

The kids all got a kick out of that. They told me, “Mr. Smith, you would not be able to do a thing. You’re not built for it. You haven’t had the practice or experience to do it. We can show you how its done and teach you what you cannot get from books.” Then I said to them, “You know, you might be right. But I still say, I KNOW HOW TO READ, AND YOU DON’T! So here is the deal, I KNOW HOW TO TEACH YOU HOW TO READ, and you will learn and be successful, IF you follow my directions.” You might know how to play sports, but if you plan to go to college, you better learn how to read. And though you may think you know how to read, I know better. Take a look out the window.

See those children on the way to school? What grade do you think they might be in?” They looked out, and said probably fourth or fifth grade. I said, “If they are reading at their proper grade level, then according to my testing results, they are reading better than you do. Think about it: you are all high school juniors and seniors walking around this high school with the ability level of normal elementary school students. You need my help in reading more than I need your help in sports!”

Some of them got the point. They used my reading program. They completed my assignments. I even tutored them after school. The coach came to me near the end of the school year and handed me a list of 21 students who had scored well enough on the ACT Test to secure full athletic scholarships to college.

Cortez Lett, a fullback for Denby’s football team, praises Smith’s methods. Cortez takes instruction from Smith in reading, English composition and writing. Twenty-one students now take the program at Denby.

No matter how good a player you are, you still need to get the right grades to succeed in college and in life,” said Cortez, 17. A senior, he is going to the Naval Academy on a full football scholarship to study sports medicine.

Cortez said the program works. “I’m a living witness,” he said. “I took the ACT and got a real good score the first time.

“All praises go to God first and to Mr. Smith. I’ve the chance to further my education with the scholarship.” The Detroit News, Section S, On Detroit, “Jerome Smith’s Reading Crusade,” page 6s, Wednesday, May 12, 1999

Now all that to say this. Eternity counts more than time. You will live someplace for ever, for all eternity. You MUST be sure you are ready for what is eternal. If you are wrong on this point, you will live to regret that fact forever and forever.

The Bible alone contains the truth you must know for eternity.

On this site, you can learn all you will ever need to know to live forever because you understood the Bible correctly enough to trust in our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life. Nothing is more important than that.

It ought to be obvious then that the Bible is where you need to be spending time reading to get better acquainted with God.

To get the most from this site, take time to read what is posted here.

I even do that myself. I am amazed at what I have written in explanation of the Bible, and how to study it. You will learn more accurate Bible interpretation here concerning the subject of Bible prophecy, for example, than you will likely ever find anywhere else–but you have to take time to read it.

I was looking at the “Google Analytics” report for this site this evening and discovered that four visits to the page I link below averaged 29 minutes and 22 seconds per visit. That shows me that whoever visited the page link below took the necessary time to read what was there. I trust the Lord will bless that reader or those readers with an increased understanding of His written Word in the Bible as a result.

Here is the page link:

The Rapture–When Will It Happen? Part 1

I have never figured out how to make a link “live” in a main article like this. The deservedly unwise individuals who design this website and software stuff have not made it clear anywhere how to do a simple thing like that. So I will post the link again immediately below in the comment section so all of you reading this can easily access the wonderful article and following discussion there. It is more important, and ought to be far more interesting, than anything having to do with sports!

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Daily Bible Nugget #344, 1 Kings 20:40

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Jerry

The Nugget:

1Ki 20:40 And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.

My Comment:

This verse (1 Kings 20:40) has not particularly caught my attention until this morning. I heard Pastor W. L. Wade, of Danville, Virginia, give a marvelously insightful message or meditation upon this verse. Pastor Wade often packs more insight, instruction, admonition, and encouragement in less than fifteen minutes (the length of his radio program heard over the Internet) than most pastors can convey in an hour, in my judgment.

In context, King Ahab, king of Israel (otherwise sometimes spoken of in the Bible as Samaria because that was the capital city of the ten tribes that broke away from the other two tribes headquartered in Jerusalem) was supposed to devote to utter destruction (see 1 Kings 20:42) the king of the Syrians, King Benhadad, but Ahab mercifully let him go and made a covenant with him instead (see 1 Kings 20:34).

One of the prophets disguised himself as a wounded soldier, and when King Ahab passed by, called out to the king, and told the king that he (the wounded soldier) had been tasked with keeping a man prisoner under his guard. But instead, the supposed guard got busy with other matters, and the prisoner was gone. The king pronounced his judgment upon the supposed wounded soldier, in reality one of the prophets. This clever stratagem exacted from King Ahab his own pronouncement of judgment upon himself, much in the way Nathan the prophet elicited from David the king of Israel his own admission of guilt when Nathan said, “Thou art the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7).

The prophet’s words are most suggestive:

1 Kings 20:40 And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.

Pastor Wade titled his message, “Busyness and Lost Opportunities.”

How often we have the excuse, “thy servant was busy.” Did we take time to read and study God’s Word? Maybe not quite as we should. “Thy servant was busy.” Did we take time to learn God’s plan of salvation and enter into the eternal life Jesus promised can be our present possession (John 5:24)? Failure here on our part would surely lead to eternal misery beyond description. Did we serve God with whatever talent He has blessed us so we could be a blessing to others in the church? Or did we in effect respond, “Thy servant was busy”?

Just what is it we are all so busy with, any way? The prophet gave the general answer true of all of us who fit this description, “Thy servant was busy here and there.” Just what “here and there” might entail, you’ll have to look into your life and examine.

But I have found that even churches can be “busy here and there,” so busy they have no room for a newcomer. I’ve experienced that repeatedly, and it is a violation on a church’s part of Romans 15:7, about which I posted a very complete study readily located to the right under the category, “Verse-by-Verse Studies.”

There are many, and no doubt an increasing number, who find it is not possible to “fit in” to a local church, for the local church unwisely is not structured for fellowship, and just as unfortunately, not structured for the sharing of spiritual gifts in the manner reflected in the New Testament (1 Peter 4:9, 10; 1 Corinthians 14:29, 31).

I wrote a note of thanks this morning to Pastor Wade, stating in part:

I enjoyed your point about how God has given each of us spiritual giftedness in some direction, yet it is possible to become so involved in “other things” that we fail to exercise faithfulness in service where we are needed in a dependable manner.

Yet, this is a very major flaw in how many a local church is structured: there is no room in the church to accommodate anyone new to the fellowship who may in fact desire to serve, perhaps as a Sunday school teacher, or better a Bible study leader. All the offices are filled, and no further help is either wanted or needed. That is why I stay home. No sense going to any church around here, for there is no interest in real Bible study, and no one wants my input. In fact, were I to open my mouth about spiritual things, no doubt I would be ushered out faster than I ever came in, with a remark like “Go find a church that believes like you do,” or “Jerry, you talk too much about the Lord, and too much about the Bible.”

Churches around here are totally unlike the churches I experienced in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s in Detroit, and then in Gainesville, Florida. The churches in Detroit were in need of more faithful workers, for much of the burden was falling upon too few dedicated people. Now, times have changed. With so many Bible versions in use, few people even bring a Bible to church. The Scripture text is displayed for them on screen at the front of the church. I find the KJV is not used much if at all in church, and even on line on the Internet, it seems little used. Modern versions have overtaken it. Now I enjoy modern English versions, but they are all under someone else’s copyright, and in any case are frequently updated–sometimes to match the current culture (gender correctness), so I can’t use them.

In any case, I am busy all day every day using my apparent spiritual gift in assembling even more cross references for Bible study! I am obeying the principle of not spending time doing what someone else can do more effectively, but rather doing a needful work which I can do that no one else will do, it would seem. You would think some gifted theologian or Bible expert would be doing what I am, instead of me, an unknown retired English teacher!

I had just recently completed work on 1 Kings chapter 20. Pastor Wade’s message made me go back and study more deeply a verse I had in essence overlooked, 1 Kings 20:40. The results of my study today of this passage, resulting in what I hope will be more helpful cross references to explain and reinforce the message of this passage in a practical way, are given immediately below. Enjoy!

By the way, I invite you to listen to Pastor Wade every Friday at 9:45 am and 9:45 pm Eastern Standard Time on the Internet at www.fbcradio.org, and every Sunday morning at 8:30 am at WBTM in Danville, Virginia (a Google search will get you to the radio station’s website where you can listen live).

For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:

(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 350 for 1 Kings 20:40.

(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 392 or in Logos 5 or 6 Bible software for 1 Kings 20:40.

(3) Consult the cross references given in the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 251 for 1 Kings 20:40.

(3) Most people today do not have access to those three resources, so I have posted cross references for this passage as I have developed them even more completely for your study as given below:

1 Kings 20:40. thy servant was busy. Most that hear the glad tidings of the Gospel are busy here and there, till the day of salvation is gone; and, not having wherewithal to ransom their souls, they must spend eternity in unavailing lamentations and despair. Nay, even true believers are often so taken up with trifles, as to let seasons of important usefulness glide away unimproved, to the loss both of themselves and of others (see Scott). Ps 90:12. Lk 9:59-62. +*Lk 10:39-42. Ac 13:13. 15:38. +*2 Cor 6:2. 2 Tim 4:10, 11. +*He 2:3. +*He 3:12, 13. +*1 J 2:15-17. here and there. “One of the gravest perils which besets the ministry is a restless scattering of energies over an amazing multiplicity of interests which leaves no margin of time and of strength for receptive and absorbing communion with God” (Andrew Bonar). Pr 1:29, 30. 6:18. 7:11, 12. %+*Lk 10:42. %1 Cor 2:2. %+*Ep 5:16. %Phil 3:13. %+*Col 4:5. 2 Th 3:11. 1 Tim 5:13. 2 Tim 3:7. %Titus 2:5. he was gone. Heb. he was not. Je 31:15. Lk 8:15. +*Lk 11:28. 1 Tim 6:20. 2 Tim 1:14. He 2:1. Re 1:3. So shall thy judgment be. **2 S 12:5-7. 24:17. Jb 9:20. 15:6. Pr 5:12, 13. Jon 1:12. Mt 7:1. **+Mt 21:41-43. 23:31. 25:24-27. 27:25. Lk 19:21, 22. Jn 8:9. 9:41. Ro 2:1. 1 J 3:20. Re 1:7.

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Daily Bible Nugget #343, Exodus 3:14

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (KJV)

Exodus 3:13 Moses answered, “I will tell the people of Israel that the God their ancestors worshiped has sent me to them. But what should I say, if they ask me your name?”
Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses: I am the eternal God. So tell them that the LORD, whose name is “I Am,” has sent you. This is my name forever, and it is the name that people must use from now on. (CEV)

My Comment:

Getting back to the series I promised regarding the attributes of God, Exodus 3:14 teaches us that God possesses the attribute of (2) Self Existence. Thus, God never had a beginning. He has always existed. No one made God, no one created God. He is self-existent.

In this Exodus passage, notice particularly that in answer to the question posed by Moses regarding what he should tell the people God’s name is, the answer God gave says I AM THAT I AM. This expression, therefore, logically must be one of the names of God. This pretty well dismisses the fraudulent claim of the Jehovah Witnesses that God has only one name, and that all the rest are just titles. This expression, I AM THAT I AM, is explicitly given by God Himself as His own name in answer to the question from Moses.

Notice also that this Name God has given Himself renders moot the questions frequently posed by atheists, “But where did God come from?” or, “If God is the First Cause, who Caused God?” Should it be true that God is the First Cause, that hardly argues that He had to be caused Himself. God is Necessary Being. All else in the universe is contingent being. Everything else in the universe was caused. God is uncaused.

For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:

(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 73 for Exodus 3:14.

(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 86 or in Logos 5 or 6 Bible software for Exodus 3:14.

(3) Consult the cross references given in the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 39 for Exodus 3:14.

(3) Most people today do not have access to those three resources, so I have posted cross references for this passage as I have developed them even more completely for your study as given below:

Exodus 3:14. I AM THAT I AM. ver. Ex 3:13. Ex 23:21. Dt 28:58. Ps 50:21. *Ps 102:26n. +*Ml 3:6. **Jn 5:26. 2 Cor 1:19. 1 Tim 6:16. He 1:12. I AM hath. ver. Ex 3:6. Ex 6:3. Jb 11:7. +*Ps 68:4. 90:2. Is 44:6. +*Ml 3:6. Mt 18:20. 28:20. **Jn 8:58. 2 Cor 1:20. *He 13:8. *Re 1:4, 8, 17. 4:8. 16:5.

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Daily Bible Nugget #342, Psalm 94:20

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Psalm 94:18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,”
your loyal love, O LORD, supports me.
Psalm 94:19 When worries threaten to overwhelm me,
your soothing touch makes me happy.
Psalm 94:20 Cruel rulers are not your allies,
those who make oppressive laws.
Psalm 94:21 They conspire against the blameless,
and condemn to death the innocent.
Psalm 94:22 But the LORD will protect me,
and my God will shelter me.
Psalm 94:23 He will pay them back for their sin.
He will destroy them because of their evil;
the LORD our God will destroy them. (NET Bible)

Psalm 94:20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with You, devising mischief for a statute? (LITV)

Psalm 94:20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law? (KJV)

My Comment:

I came upon Psalm 94:20 in my studies this week. I was studying the account of Naboth and his vineyard. King Ahab desired the vineyard for himself, and asked Naboth to sell it to him or trade it for an even more extensive vineyard.

Naboth refused.

Naboth was in the right. God’s Law did not permit anyone to sell or trade away their land, their family inheritance (Leviticus 25:23; Numbers 36:7; Ezekiel 46:18).

King Ahab became despondent. His wife Jezebel enters into the matter and arranges for Naboth to be killed as a result of false accusation.

God avenged Naboth most spectacularly. You will find the story recorded in 1 Kings chapter 21 for starters.

We have laws in our own country that are most unjust. Eminent domain. Asset forfeiture. And no doubt a host of others. A particularly egregious example of the law run amuck took place December 30, 2014, where 18 police agencies descended upon a rural farmhouse in New York and, using their new-fangled and I think altogether unnecessary military hardware that many police agencies are being outfitted with these days, literally drove through the home leaving it unsafe for further habitation, to restrict the movements, the police said, of the man they were after for a DUI warrant issued last August 26, for which the man failed to show up in court. Does it take four months to service a DUI warrant? Does it require a SWAT team to do it? Now the wife and young children are homeless, and the husband is dead of a self-inflicted gun shot wound. The police stormed the residence for 3 days. I wonder how much overtime they got for that? I do not at all support the man who was driving under the influence. But neither do I support such wicked procedures by police agencies to enforce the law. They could have stationed one unmarked car positioned to see the man leave his home on whatever normal business he might have, and then called a marked car to come to peacefully detain him. This is the same error committed at Waco with the terrible loss of life when innocent women and children were consumed by the fire set off by government forces when Janet Reno said she was responsible, and that “The buck stops with her.” Too bad whoever it was in this Danby, NY incident who authorized this procedure, and all those who participated in it, can’t be required or forced to build a new house to replace the home they destroyed so the mother and her children could have a decent place of their own to live. And it ought to be tax free for life for that family. But I did read where a church–Danby Federated Church under Pastor Ed Enstine–in the local town is accepting donations to help the family. You can be sure the Lord is most displeased with law enforcement shenanigans of this kind, and will Himself avenge the mother and children for what was wrongly done to them.

If more people in this country were Bible-believing, Bible practicing Christians, such injustices would not take place by law enforcement, and the now dead father in this family would have been reached with the Gospel of Christ, and the Lord would have delivered him from alcoholism.

LINK: http://www.policestateusa.com/2015/cady-raid/

For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:

(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on pages 608-609 for Psalm 94:20.

(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 654 or in Logos 5 or 6 Bible software for Psalm 94:20.

(3) Consult the cross references given in the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 390 for Psalm 94:20.

(3) Most people today do not have access to those three resources, so I have posted cross references for this passage as I have developed them even more completely for your study as given below:

Psalm 94:20. throne of iniquity. Heb. havvah, cupidity. FS121C1D, Ex 6:6. Iniquity put by the Figure Metonymy (of Cause) for the injustice produced by desire for gain. ver. Ps 94:3-6. %Ps 47:8. *Ps 52:1, 2. 56:7. *Ps 82:1, 2. 140:8. *1 S 22:17-19. 1 K 21:2, 3. Ec 3:16. +*Ec 5:8. Je 22:30. Ezk 33:26. Da 11:36-39. *Am 6:3. Jn 19:13. fellowship. So as to divide men’s allegiance with Thee (Kay). Ge 49:6. 2 Ch 6:14-16. +*2 Ch 19:2. +*Ps 1:1. +*Ps 5:4. +**Ps 119:63. *Is 1:11-20. *Je 7:4-11. Jn 18:28. **2 Cor 6:14-16. **Ep 5:11. *1 J 1:5, 6. frameth. or, forgeth. Al-choq; as if they hammered out their systematic oppression on the anvil of Law;—or, as if Law were the cast or mold, by which they gave shape to their iniquitous policy (Kay). Dt 24:17. +*1 K 21:9, 12. Mt 26:3, 59. +*2 Th 1:6. mischief. Ps 58:2. Ex 1:17. +*1 K 12:32. *Est 3:6-12. *Is 10:1. *Da 3:4-7. *Da 6:7-9. Am 6:12. Mic 6:16. +**Jn 7:24. 8:15. *Jn 9:22. *Jn 11:57. Ac 16:37. 22:3. 26:12. *Re 13:15-17. by a law. Is 10:1, 2. Da 2:13. 3:10. 6:15. +*Hab 1:4. *Ac 4:17, 18. Re 13:11-18.

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Daily Bible Nugget #341, Romans 16:26

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Rom 16:26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

My Comment:

God has the attribute or quality of being eternal (Deuteronomy 33:27) or everlasting (Romans 16:26).

An interesting and instructive study is to discover what else or who else in the Bible is said to be eternal or everlasting. There are several ways to study this out from the Bible. You could use a concordance (an alphabetical word index to the Bible: many Bibles have a short concordance at the back of the Bible; a more complete concordance like Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible will get you much further). You could use a topical Bible. You could use the cross references in the center or side column of a reference Bible, or more completely from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge which is still available and in print or the more complete New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge or its sequel, Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible, both of which are no longer in print, though available on Amazon used or new at prices far above the former retail price when they were in print.

You could also study who or what is said to be eternal by using the search or concordance feature of a software program like the e-Sword program, a free Bible software program available at www.e-Sword.net, a program I use every day which allows you to search either the English word or the underlying Greek or Hebrew word identified according to its Strong Number from Strong’s Concordance.

I find it most interesting that God is called everlasting at Romans 16:26 using the same word that is translated both “eternal” and “everlasting” at Matthew 25:46, “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” Should the question be asked, “How long does suffering in hell last?” the answer clearly is forever. It lasts as long as the righteous will enjoy eternal life. It lasts as long as God will last, which is forever, for the same word is used in Romans 16:26 to describe the eternal existence of God Himself. Don’t let false teachers deceive you with clever arguments in their effort to convince you otherwise. The evidence about the issue I have presented in this paragraph alone is conclusive and irrefutable. So, in answer to the question, “What else is eternal?” the answer is eternal punishment of the wicked or unsaved, and the eternal life of those who are saved.

As for the question, “Who else is eternal?” the answer is our Lord Jesus Christ. He is spoken of at Revelation 22:13, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” It happens that the attribute of being eternal is what is called an “incommunicable attribute.” That means that God has this attribute, but even He cannot give this attribute to anyone else. God cannot create a creature or person who is also eternal. Only God can possess the attribute of being eternal. This being the case, our Lord Jesus Christ must also be God. This is one of the evidences for the deity of Christ, and a very strong evidence it is. This is also one of the underlying evidences in support of the doctrine of the Trinity.

Perhaps you can begin to see how a study of the attributes of God ties in to more truth than you might have first suspected. And there is more to come.

For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:

(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 1301 for Romans 16:26.

(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 1322 or in Logos 5 or 6 Bible software for Romans 16:26.

(3) Consult the cross references given in the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 116 for Romans 16:26.

(3) Most people today do not have access to those three resources, so I have posted cross references for this passage as I have developed them even more completely for your study as given below:

Romans 16:26. now is made manifest. Ro 3:21. *Dt 29:29. +*Dt 30:11. Jb 11:6. Is 48:6. 52:15. Da 2:22. Mt 13:35. Jn 15:15. 1 Cor 2:7. Ep 1:9. 3:9. Col 1:26. 4:4. *2 Tim 1:10. 4:17. *Titus 1:2, 3. 1 P 1:20. 1 J 1:2. Re 1:1. and by. +*Ro 1:2. 3:21. +*Ro 15:4. *Ac 3:18. *Ac 8:32-35. +*Ac 10:43. *Ac 26:22, 23. *Ga 3:8. Ep 2:20. *2 P 1:19. Re 19:10. the scriptures of the prophets. or, prophetic writings. Gr. graphē prophētikos (S#1124g; S#4397g). Mt 5:17. +*Lk 24:27, 44. +*Jn 5:39. +*Ac 17:11. +**2 Tim 3:15-17. +**1 P 1:11. 2 P 1:19g. 2 P 3:15, 16. according. +*Mt 28:19, 20. *Mk 16:15. *Lk 24:44-47. *Ac 13:46, 47. +*Ac 26:17, 18. 1 Cor 7:6. 2 Cor 8:8. the commandment. Gr. epitagē (S#2003g), an injunction or decree; by implication authoritativeness (Strong). Ro 1:9. Dt 26:18. 1 Cor 7:6g, 1 Cor 7:25g. 2 Cor 8:8g. 1 Tim 1:1g. Titus 1:3g. Titus 2:15g (authority). everlasting. Gr. aionios, +Mt 18:8. God the Father is eternal. *Ro 1:20. *Ge 21:33. Dt 32:40. +*Dt 33:27. Ps 90:2. 93:2. +*Is 9:6. **Is 40:28. 41:4. Je 10:10. +*Mic 5:2. **Mt 25:46g. +**Mt 28:19n. **Ep 4:6. *1 Tim 1:17. **He 9:14. **He 13:8. 2 P 3:8. *1 J 5:20. **Re 1:8-11, 17. 10:6. God. +*1 Cor 8:6. *Ep 4:6. made known. Ro 9:22, 23. 10:14. Lk 2:15. Jn 17:20. +*1 Tim 2:6. to all nations. or, Gentiles. T#1031. ver. Ro 16:4. +Ro 1:5. 10:12, 13. Ps 18:43. 22:27. Is 42:4. *Is 66:18. Mt 13:38. 24:14. Ac 10:11. 22:21. *Col 1:6, +*Col 1:23, 26. 1 Tim 2:7. 3:16. obedience of faith. See on Ro 1:5. 6:17. 10:16. 15:18. +*Dt 26:16, 18. +*Je 7:23. Ezk 11:20. Zec 6:15. Mk 1:15. Ac 6:7. 2 Cor 9:13. *2 Cor 10:5. *Ga 5:6, 7. Col 1:6. 1 Th 1:3. 2 Th 1:8. 1 P 1:2.

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Daily Bible Nugget #340, Deuteronomy 33:27

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Deu 33:27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

My Comment:

Deuteronomy 33:27 speaks about the eternity of God, and is the first attribute or characteristic in a list of God’s attributes I have been developing as I study the Bible. My list might not be exhaustive, but I believe it will be more complete and comprehensive than most other lists generally available.

A study of the attributes of God is a very important study. Knowing his attributes will increase our faith in God and help us to understand Him much better (see Psalm 9:10, where knowing God’s name means to know His character, His person).

Once you have a greater grasp of the full range of the attributes or qualities the Bible ascribes to God, you will not only understand Him much better, but you will be equipped to see more clearly where some have failed to account for all the evidence in the Bible that describes what kind of God we have.

The eternity of God means God never had a beginning. He always was, and always is, and always will be. Sometimes atheists and other even more sincere seekers after the truth about God stumble over the question: If God made everything, then who or what made God? I’ve read where some atheists will suggest that matter is eternal, so they think their belief is more valid because they do not introduce what they think is a mythological being called God into the picture. But if you think it through, if there is no God, then what is the answer to the question, “Where did matter come from?” To say matter always existed goes against the laws of physics as we know them. According to the laws of physics, matter in its natural state is always tending to an increased state of disorganization. Living things grow old and die. Inanimate, inorganic things wear down. Sources of heat grow cold. That leads to the conclusion that matter is not eternal, but had a beginning. Where was matter before the beginning? Some atheists and agnostics end up suggesting what is not logical or true to fact: They suggest matter created itself, thus they get something from nothing, which would seem to be a much greater contradiction to what is reality than what the Bible declares when it says, “In the beginning God created…” (Genesis 1:1).

God is eternal. He has always existed. He is uncreated. He is necessary being, where all else is contingent being. Anything that can change is contingent. God in His essential nature and character is unchanging and eternal, just like the Bible says. His eternal nature gives us a good reason to be able to trust Him.

For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:

(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 218 for Deuteronomy 33:27.

(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 238 or in Logos 5 or 6 Bible software for Deuteronomy 33:27.

(3) Consult the cross references given in the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 149 for Deuteronomy 33:27.

(3) Most people today do not have access to those three resources, so I have posted cross references for this passage as I have developed them even more completely for your study as given below:

Deuteronomy 33:27. eternal. Heb. kedem, +Mi 5:2. T#212. Dt 32:40. +*Ge 21:33n. Ex 15:18. 1 S 15:29. 1 Ch 16:36. Ne 9:5. Jb 29:5. Ps 9:7. 55:19. *Ps 90:1, 2. 93:2. 102:12, 24-27. *Is 9:6. 40:28. 44:6. 48:12. *Is 57:15. 63:16. *Je 10:10. La 5:19. Da 4:3, 34. Mic 4:7. *Mic 5:2. Hab 1:12. Ro 1:20. +*Ro 16:26. *1 Tim 1:17. 6:15, 16. He 1:20-12. *He 9:14. 13:8. 2 P 3:8. Re 1:11. refuge. Ge 7:16. Jb 1:10. 5:11. Ps 9:9. 14:6. *Ps 18:2. 27:5. 36:7. *Ps 46:1, 7, 11. 48:3. *Ps 57:1, 2. 59:16, 17. 71:3, 7. 89:18. *Ps 91:1, 2, 9, 15. 94:22. 125:2. 139:5. *Pr 18:10. *Is 25:4. 32:2. 51:16. Je 16:19. Lk 13:34. Phil 3:9. *He 6:18. underneath. Ge 49:24. %Ex 17:12. *Pr 10:25. Song 2:6. *Is 26:4. Ro 14:4. He 13:5. 1 P 1:5. *Jude 1:24. everlasting. Heb. olam, +Ge 17:7. arms. Ps 103:17. 140:7. Song 8:3. Is 26:4. *Is 40:28, 29. 41:10. Je 31:3. *1 Th 2:16, 17. thrust. See on *Dt 9:3-5. Ex 23:28. Ps 80:8. *Jn 10:28, 29. *Ro 8:2. 16:20. *Re 20:2, 3, 10.

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